Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(145)

Laish made our wine glasses disappear and took my hand in his. “I have tied you to me in a very intimate way, Gwendolyn. And I did it without so much as a ‘by-your-leave,’” he said, looking at me earnestly. “Not only that, I did it using your own soul which I had stolen and attached to myself to do it. How can you possibly forgive me for that?”

“Like this,” I said and kissed him.

At first Laish was frozen in place and I felt like I was kissing a statue. Then he put his arms around me and kissed me back, making me shiver with desire. He ran his hands through my hair and pulled me close until I could feel his big, hard body pressing against every inch of mine. The kiss became hungry…breathless… But before it could go too far, he pulled back and looked at me, holding my eyes with his own.

“Gwendolyn, are you certain? You can truly forgive what I did? You feel for me as I feel for you?”

“I do,” I whispered. “I know Grams won’t like it but I can’t help it, Laish. I love you. I don’t think I realized it until after I thought you were gone. But once I knew how I felt, I couldn’t change it.” I squeezed his hand and my voice got tight and choked. “It was awful—seeing you slip into the Abyss that way. All I could think about was how much I missed you.” My eyes were stinging with tears but I tried to blink them away.

“I’m here now.” Laish tilted my chin up so he could press his lips to my wet eyelids very gently, kissing the tears away.

“I know.” I gave him a trembling smile. “So I guess we’ve got a second chance. I don’t want to waste it.”

“Mon ange…” He stroked my cheek and in the twilight dimness I saw his eyes burning ruby red. “I love you, too,” he murmured. “So very much. And now you have given me a reason to stay here—my choice is made.”

“Laish!” I looked at him uncertainly, feeling a little afraid. Because the ruby red light burning in his eyes had suddenly been extinguished. It was hard to tell in the deepening twilight but I thought his eyes were normal now—just a beautiful but very human deep blue. Much like the ocean that was rushing over the sand just a few yards away from us.

“What is it?” He looked at me, scanning my face. “What’s wrong, Gwendolyn?”

“Your eyes…” I cupped his strong jaw, looking at him worriedly. “They’re not red anymore.”

He laughed. “Because I have given up my demonic nature.”

“What—all of it?” I demanded.

A devilish little grin twisted the corner of his mouth and I thought I saw just the tiniest spark of red in his eyes. “Well, almost all, mon ange. Though there might still be a little left. Let us find out, shall we?”

And then he pulled me down onto the blanket with him and kissed me until I couldn’t see straight.

I gave myself to him willingly—eagerly, loving the feel of his big, warm hands stripping away my dress…his muscular body pressing against mine…the feel of his hot mouth caressing my breasts and sucking my nipples. Then he was finding his way down my trembling belly to the place between my thighs.

“May I, Gwendolyn?” he asked softly, hooking his fingers in the sides of my little white bikini panties.

“Yes.” I lifted my hips to help him, eager for his touch…for the feel of his lips and tongue between my legs.

“Gods, mon ange,” he groaned softly, settling between my thighs and rubbing his cheek against my *. “Your scent is intoxicating. Never thought I’d get to taste you again.”

“You thought wrong,” I whispered breathlessly. “Do it, Laish—don’t make me wait. I want you to.”

“And I want you…my angel.” He looked up at me and once more I thought I saw just a tiny spark of red in those dark blue eyes. Then he bent his head and pressed a long, sweet kiss to my *, parting me with his lips and laving my aching clit with his hot tongue until I moaned. Sparks of electricity ran through every nerve in my body, making me feel alive for the first time in forever.

“Laish…oh Goddess, Laish…”

The sun had finally set as I moaned his name, bucking up to meet him, giving myself shamelessly and with absolutely no reservation. This was good, this was right and I knew it to the bottom of my heart.

Laish wrapped his arms around my thighs, spreading me wide, pressing deep to fill me with his tongue and then pulling back to lap my aching little button until I gasped and writhed against him. It hadn’t been so long since we’d been together—I knew that cognitively. But emotionally, it felt like forever since I’d given myself to him. And this time I knew without the shadow of a doubt that it was right for us to be together, which made everything so much better.


It was so good, in fact, that I was already close to coming. But I didn’t want to come like this—I wanted more.

“Laish,” I gasped, tugging at his thick black hair. “Laish, wait.”

“What is it, mon ange?” He looked up at me, his mouth wet with my juices. “I want to feel you coming against my tongue,” he murmured. “Want to lap your sweet * until you come all over my face.”

His hot words made me shiver with desire but I wanted more than just his tongue inside me.

“I want you.” I tugged at him again. “In me—now.”